A plane collided with a Black Hawk helicopter while trying to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, officials said, grounding all flights at the airport.
“A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The plane, operated by American Airlines, had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, the FAA said.
In a statement provided to CBS News, American Airlines said that it was “aware of reports that American Eagle flight 5342, operated by PSA, with service from Wichita, Kansas (ICT) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) has been involved in an incident.”
There was no immediate word on how many passengers were aboard both the passenger jet and the helicopter.
The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department reported in a social media post that a small aircraft crashed in the Potomac River in the “vicinity” of the airport.
The D.C. Police Department said in a statement that multiple agencies were “coordinating a search and rescue operation in the Potomac River.”
The airport also said in a post on X that all takeoffs and landings at DCA had been halted.
“Emergency personnel are responding to an aircraft incident on the airfield. The terminal remains open,” the airport said.
The Metropolitan Police Department said on social media it was assisting in the response and that the helicopter involved in the crash was not one of the department’s.
The U.S. Park Police aviation unit was involved in a search and rescue operation for the incident, the agency said.
The U.S. Park Police aviation unit was conducting search and rescue operations for this incident, the agency said.
Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas wrote on social media that he was “in contact with authorities.”
This is a breaking story and will be updated.